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Work shown at the TC-linked Pearl Street Gallery demands response from the viewer

It was 1895 and Mark Twain, in the midst of a lecture tour in Australia, was suffering from a severe toothache. Later, he would write a letter of thanks to the dentist who gave him relief. And thus was planted the seed for "The New Adventures of Mark Twain, Coalopolis to Metropolis"-creative interpretations by 10 prominent Australian artists and authors that mine this obscure event for themes of travel, voyaging, isolation, sexuality and politics.

The exhibit, which opened this month, exemplifies the quirky originality of work found at The Pearl Street Gallery, a venue founded in 2003 by three TC doctoral students, Dan Serig, Jason Swift and Hugo Ortega Lpez. Their vision, hatched with sculptor Boris Curatolo, another TC alum, was of a gallery space that would showcase superb, engaging artwork while also exploring how artists contribute to educational research through the images and objects they create.

"They wanted to discover what merit there is in using a studio space as opposed to using a library space or a classroom space," says Graeme Sullivan, Associate Professor of Art Education, Chair of TC's Department of Arts and Humanities and now the Gallery's curator.

Thanks to Sullivan's discerning eye, the new exhibits that air each month at the Pearl Street Gallery have included work by two remarkable South Korean artists, Lee, Sung-Keun and Lee, Jung-Han, as well as a collection by the British artist Barbara Howey that explores the historic role weaving has played in women's lives.

"People involved in the arts have a hell of a lot to offer in all areas of community, education and history," Sullivan says.